"To keep Hua from being deceived by some three-dimensional woman... ahem... to make sure your 'friend' wouldn't die in this Honkai outbreak, and to prevent you from being heartbroken because of it, I took Carole's place and pretended to be her. I became your friend instead."
"Oh, right. Hua, you probably haven't heard about your dad yet. I made arrangements in advance and had people evacuate him in time. So he also escaped this Honkai. The martial arts school, though, will need to be rebuilt."
Vill-V had, of course, asked Hua about her father's situation in Pearl City and made preparations ahead of time.
It was said that when the mercenaries went to pick him up, he didn't believe them and knocked an entire squad flat.
Even after hearing the citywide alarm, Hua's father had refused to leave, insisting on living and dying with his martial arts school.
Only when they told him Hua was still waiting for him did he finally pack his things.
Fortunately, Pearl City was on the outer edge of the Honkai outbreak, and the Third Herrscher had been delayed by Vill-V for quite some time. Otherwise, Hua's father might truly have perished alongside the school.
Learning that both her most important friend and her father were safe, the enormous weight in Hua's heart finally lifted.
So my world hasn't changed after all... That's wonderful...
Hua did not think further about why Vill-V could foresee everything, or how Vill-V possessed enough influence to hire soldiers.
The young Hua was simply too straightforward, too pure.
Seeing the relaxed, innocent smile on Hua's face, [Id] Vill-V felt a flicker of guilt.
She had deceived Hua from the beginning, and that deception had led to this emotional roller coaster. (Conductor: There was no better solution. We couldn't exactly warn Hua in advance, have her drop out and flee, or kidnap her martial artist father. Shenzhou isn't some lawless land.)
"This may be cruel, Hua. I changed the course of your original life."
"Even the fact that, given your personality, you would forgive everything I've done afterward... was part of 'my' calculations. I won't say something like 'sorry.' I would rather you curse me after learning all of this."
Hua shook her head.
"How could I ever curse you? Car... Vil... Fuka. Everything you did was for my sake. It was for my own good..."
As she spoke, Hua reached out and gently touched Vill-V's cheek.
Feeling the warmth of her skin, Hua seemed to sense the tenderness within Vill-V's heart.
She cared so deeply.
"If it weren't for you, I don't know what I would have become. My life might have turned into a nightmare. You were the one who woke me from it. Thank you, Fuka."
Everything had fallen within Conductor's calculations.
Every possible reaction and psychological response from Hua had been predicted.
Even if Vill-V had done something "bad" to her, Hua would still thank her—just like now.
That only made [Id] Vill-V feel more indebted, as if she had manipulated Hua's future.
Unlike Su, Hua's opinion had never been sought before she intervened.
"It's not like that," [Id] Vill-V sighed. "I don't want to say something like 'suffering forges your will.'"
"But those hardships were indeed the starting point for you to meet new friends. And I forcefully kept you inside my own comfort zone, preventing you from meeting the people who were meant to become your friends. That was my intention."
Those who might have become Hua's friends had been erased by her hand.
Perhaps Hua should have had many more companions.
Now, Hua's only friend was her.
Was someone like her still worthy of being called Hua's friend?
Did she still have the right to call her Hua-chan?
[Id] Vill-V added, "Originally, these were words that Id—that one—wanted to tell you. But she couldn't bring herself to say them." (Conductor: Someone couldn't hold it together and wanted to borrow my identity. I won't say who.)
Hua looked confused.
These words were far beyond her understanding—what did "Id" mean? Who were the people who were "meant to become her friends"? What did it mean to replace Carole and become her friend?
Yet even though her mind was muddled, Hua met Vill-V's dim gray eyes with unwavering resolve and answered firmly:
"Even so, you still treated me as a friend, didn't you? That's enough."
"No matter who you are, you are my friend."
"You don't have to tell me everything. But I'm willing to believe that everything you do has meaning. Go ahead and do what you need to."
"I'm willing to change for you... just like before."
"Even if the road ahead is cruel, I'm willing to walk it with you."
These were not words of comfort.
They were Hua's true intention.
She still remembered the question Vill-V had casually asked her on the lawn:
"If we could do anything at all, what would you want to do?"
And now, after experiencing such dramatic upheaval, Hua's answer had not changed.
[As long as I can do it together with my friend, then no matter what it is, that is what I want to do!]
Just like before, when they had lain side by side on the sunlit grass, immersed in that sincere friendship.
Only this time, Hua did not shyly turn her head to avoid Vill-V's gaze.
Instead, she chose to meet Vill-V's evasive eyes with the same gentle yet unwavering look.
If she didn't know how to say it aloud, then she would convey her thoughts—her truest answer—through her eyes.
Even young as she was, Hua's radiant will could move hearts. All the more so when carried by such genuine emotion.
Their gazes intertwined.
Vill-V's line of sight was captured by Hua's.
Feeling the warmth and expectation in Hua's eyes, even the somewhat slow [Id] Vill-V could sense her feelings.
"You're a good girl. Don't credit your own excellence to someone else. That's such a loss for you!"
For some reason, Vill-V suddenly remembered the words she had once said to Hua.
Now they had come back around to admonish herself.
So this is it...
She had underestimated what it meant to be "friends," what it meant to be "partners."
There had never been anything one-sided about it.
There was no need to agonize over it.
Trusting each other was enough.
"Phew..."
With a long breath, Vill-V swept away the gloom in her heart and lifted her spirits, smiling once more.
"Then I might end up disappointing your expectations."
"Thank you for believing in me, Hua-chan..."
"Heh. Just watch. I, Vill-V, will definitely create an even more beautiful world for you, Hua-chan!"