Surviving in a Collapsed World, Is Something Wrong?

2006年8月24日 1:21:13

The evening breeze blew towards him with a slight coolness, stirring up tiny particles on the surface of his skin. Jiang Ming took a deep breath as if somewhat relaxed, feeling immersed in this atmosphere without any of the stuffiness of late summer. He really liked the feeling of a cool breeze in the hot summer; it was very comfortable and short-lived.

Looking at the girl who was curious about everything around her, the boy's thoughts went back to a while ago...

......

"Let me tell you the name of the protagonist first. Her name is Theresa, and her wish is..."

After listening to Yuexia's wish, Jiang Ming took her to the top of a tall building. The white-haired girl beside him stood at the highest point of the rooftop, overlooking the night view of Canghai City, looking energetic.

Vampires seem to have exceptionally good eyesight and can see distant objects clearly.

"Jiang Ming, what's that huge roar painted on the sign?"

Yuexia pointed in the direction of a Houm pattern in the distance and asked.

Jiang Ming followed the moonlight's line of sight and explained for her.

"That's Hom's Happy Diner, a place to...fill your stomach, with ice cream, and grilled steak with black truffle chocolate, if you want..."

"What about that place, where there are a lot of lights?"

Without waiting for Jiang Ming to finish his words, Theresa pulled Jiang Ming's sleeve and pointed to another place and asked: "Over there, over there with the shining wheel..."

"That's the Ferris wheel at the Hoom Hoom Amusement Park. You can see the cruise ships on the sea while sitting on the Ferris wheel."

"What about that? That building is shining!"

The mood under the moon began to become excited.

"That's the game center. There are a lot of game consoles there. Kiana and Bronya often go there."

"Game console...what is that?"

"A game console is..."

The vampire, who was originally a bit dangerous, now had an innocent expression on the face of the young girl. However, in the depths of its sparkling eyes, Jiang Ming sensed something that was hard to let go.

Loneliness, solitude, despair... and a hint of unwillingness.

"Would you like me to take you to those places?"

Faced with Jiang Ming's proposal, Yuexia, who was originally expecting something, slowly shook her head and refused.

"That's enough. This is my... no, her wish. She just wants to know what the world looks like now. Not the description in the book, but the real city, lights and people..."

"Although I still want to taste the ice cream and touch Houmu's face... But this is good enough. I am already satisfied."

Under the moonlight, she once again looked towards the bustling city below, her ruby-like eyes filled with reluctance.

A simple, ordinary wish that is heartbreaking.

A wish that can't even be called a wish.

And a girl who clumsily denied that this was exactly what she wanted.

"......"

Jiang Ming gently placed his hand on Yuexia's little head and stroked it slowly. Yuexia seemed to like this comfortable action very much.

"You should wait until you are truly satisfied before you say 'satisfied'. If you want to go, I can take you there right now. Whether it's ice cream or steak, whether it's Homo or a game console, I can make sure you can eat to your heart's content and have fun."

"The night is still long, I will always be with you..."

"..."

"I'm sorry...I can't do this."

The rejection without hesitation made Jiang Ming feel a little depressed.

"why?"

"I don't have much time left. I must leave this city tonight. Vampires are not supposed to appear in front of lights, and... the more humans there are, the harder it is to control myself."

"She...is such a sad creature."

As he spoke this under the moonlight, his voice gradually faded away, mixed with the sound of the wind, and seemed a little unclear, but Jiang Ming could clearly feel the self-destructive tone and the deep hatred for his own vampire identity.

"..."

Jiang Ming held her in front of him. At this moment, it seemed that only this way could express his feelings about Yuexia's experience.

Yuexia lay in Jiang Ming's arms and began to talk.

"The girl is a doll made by her grandfather. Her life has been meaningless since she was born. Grandpa has never given her anything except a room filled with books like a cage. Only her grandfather and her sleeping sister are the people she can occasionally talk to."

"She was frequently asked to drink blood bags and suck her sister's blood every half a month. Everything was her grandfather's wish, so she continued to live like this because she was born for this and because she was needed."

"Because every time she finished sucking blood, her sister would wake up and give her a very gentle smile. Only at this time could she feel the meaning of her existence."

"Even so, she still had a wish. She wanted to go out and see the world described in the books, even if it was just a glance. With the help of her sister, she escaped from the cage that she had been unable to leave since she was born. But she thought everything was too simple. Outside... is the human world.

"She found it increasingly difficult to control her urge to suck other people's blood. She tried desperately to suppress it, but her body's instincts easily shattered her efforts."

"When she came to her senses, only the fresh blood stains at the corners of her mouth could replace her memory to tell her what she had done."

Having said this, the poor girl slowly raised her face. There was no emotion on her face that matched the weight of her words, but it was this strange calmness that exuded a sense of depression that "all rash words of consolation are in vain."

"Now, you understand, she is losing her emotions as a human being, and even... she doesn't know how long she can remain herself. So before that, at least, he wants to see with his own eyes the places that his sister has described to him countless times - Yae Village and Canghai City."

The moonlight fell silently on the long hair under the moonlight, and a long silence enveloped the entire roof. The so-called scary white ghost was just an ordinary girl who was helpless and pitiful and was quietly attracted by the moonlight.

a long time.

"I gotta go."

Yuexia spoke with some reluctance.

"Thank you for fulfilling my wish. Can you please obey my one last willful request?"

"......sure."

Under the moonlight, he left Jiang Ming's warm embrace and came to the center of the rooftop.

"Dance with me, right here."

Under the moonlight, the young girl reached out her hand to Jiang Ming.

Although her expression was still expressionless, I didn't know if it was an illusion, but the soft atmosphere around her conveyed a faint smile. This must be the girl's original and most authentic appearance.

Jiang Ming gently took her hand, as if it was something illusory and fragile.

The girl began to imitate the illustrations on TV or in books, dancing to the unfamiliar steps that she had practiced many times in private. Jiang Ming also imitated the steps in his memory and danced with the moon. Although neither of them was very good at it, it was enough.

"I escaped with my sister, but I ran away from her again."

Yuexia began to talk about her life.

"Her gentleness makes me dependent, but also makes me uneasy. Perhaps, like my grandfather, she can express that she needs me in a simple and easy-to-understand way, which will make me feel more at ease..."

"But my sister is different. She treats me so kindly without asking for anything in return. Does she really... need me? I feel safe but uneasy, uneasy but warm. It's as if my emotions don't belong to me. I can't feel grounded."

The narration under the moonlight was as immature and clumsy as her dance steps, but this time it was no longer calm and indifferent as if she was telling someone else's story, but it truly contained her own emotions.

"After all, I am just a puppet created by my grandfather for my sister's resurrection, but... can puppets also have such emotions?"

"Will it?"

"Hey, tell me, please? I... I don't understand anything at all."

The white-haired girl raised her head with an expression as if she was asking for help. She was now like a drowning child, as if she had grabbed a life-saving straw. She began to increase the strength of her grip on Jiang Ming's body. She was praying. She wanted to get an answer from Jiang Ming, the human being in front of her.

Jiang Ming showed a gentle expression, hugged Yuexia tightly in his arms again, and stroked her hair.

"You are not a puppet. The troubles and struggles you have now are proof that you are indeed alive. This is something that only humans have. You are not a so-called vampire, nor a so-called puppet. You have a noble and pure soul."

"You are-human."

"But......"

Yuexia hurriedly wanted to deny it, but she couldn't even leave Jiang Ming's arms.

"By the way, Miss Human."

Jiang Ming put his mouth close to Yuexia's ear and whispered softly.

"I need you right now."

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(Ah... Come to think of it, the dream I had last night was about today's double update)

(Why do I have to write even in my dreams, bastard!)